057 – MTB 282 Scottish Mountains with Sean Green and His Grizzly Munro Diaries
Todays Guest
Sean Green – Mountain biking 282 Munro Scottish Mountains (just for the hell of it).
On episode Fifty Seven we have something a little different for you, or something a little crazy for you. It was my pleasure to get Sean on the podcast and talk about his passion for mountain biking the 282 Munro peaks of the Scottish mountains which he calls his Grizzly Munro Diaries. And did I say he was doing it on a mountain bike? I love chatting to people like Sean who have stepped outside the box and are doing something completely different, something they are so passionate about it takes over your every minute of thinking.
Sean was great to chat with and you can tell his idea has grown into a full-time passion, even though he has to do it on a part-time basis. What makes this adventure even more crazy is that Sean works full-time, is a father of two and at times has to drive hours to even get to his next Munro challenge. His days off are full, his weekends are full but Sean strongly believes his family comes first and that he has a good balance between the two. Sean chats to us about his background in mountain biking, what it is like to bike where he lives and the crazy looks he gets from hikers when on top of an Munro with his bike.
And talking about bikes, Sean rides a Deviate with a Pinion gearbox (see sponsors list below). I have known about the Deviate brand for some time as I had Ben Jones, the co-founder of the brand on the podcast on episode 15 talking about his MTB adventure company (listen here). Sean is in love with his Deviate and believes the gearbox really helps his riding with not just climbing but descending. I must admit the bike does look awesome. We chat about how Sean reached out to get help from sponsors and how that has helped with the challenge. Sean chats to us about how to prepare for such an adventure, what extra gear you require and how crazy the terrain can get.
Find Out:
- How Sean got interested in mountain biking
- How he got the idea for the Grizzly Munro Diaries
- How Sean turned this into a reality
- Who Sean is sponsored by and how that helps
- Why Sean loves his Deviate bike
- The amount of extra gear you require to do such a challenge
- What the trails are like and how crazy the terrain can be
- How Sean plans where he is going to ride next
- Why some rides take more preparation than others
- The challenges you can face from weather to equipment
- Why Sean likes doing these challenges by himself
- How many Munro’s Sean had already completed
- How financially difficult this has been
- What future plans Sean has for the Grizzly Munro Diaries
- How you can help Sean through his Patreon Page (see below) and follow his diaries
I initially got in contact with Sean via Andy Cole. Andy is an awesome free-lance photographer who worked with Sean for an article he wrote on Pink Bike. Andy sent me a quick overview and the link to the article (see below). The images and story blew my mind. The whole idea of this crazy challenge was of huge interest to me and even though Andy’s images on that day where blue sky and clear vistas, I knew the conditions would not always be that favourable. I had to find out more. So I reached out to Sean and he was kind enough to come on the show and tell us more about his new found passion.
Sean talks about the difficulties in doing such a challenge. Not only about physical difficulties, but about weather conditions and the mental aspect that takes over when you are hiking and trying to ride in 3 foot of snow. Its not always blue sky’s. Sean is very open about how mentally strong you have to be at times and how you just have to put your head down and keep pushing. So why put put yourself through this? Sean fills us in on how the Grizzly Munro Diaries has kind of taken on a life of its own and has opened doors to many other opportunities for him to chase. From working with photographers to magazine editors to his sponsors. It has become much more than just riding his bike and Sean enjoys it all.
So if your are looking for a new challenge or want to find out more about what Sean is doing, simply plug in and take a listen. I find it really amazing where mountain bikes can take us and what crazy things you get up to on a mountain bike, there is nothing like it. So chill out and get stoked for the trails with Sean Green and his Grizzly Munro Diaries!
To Connect with Sean:
Facebook: grizzlymunrodiaries
Instagram: grizzly_munro_diaries
Patreon: grizzlymunrodiaries
YouTube: Grizzly Munro Diaries
Sean’s Sponsors:
Resources in this Episode:
Pink Bike Article: Scoping Out Scotland’s Hidden Gems by Andy Cole
Andy Cole: www.alcphotography.co.uk
To Share Your Thoughts or Get In Contact:
To Help Out The Show:
- Rate and leave an honest review on iTunes or Stitcher. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.
- Subscribe and listen to on iTunes
- Subscribe and listen to on Stitcher
- Subscribe and listen to on Spotify
Massive thanks to Sean for coming on the show and sharing his story. Awesome!
Thanks for listening and being part of the Tribe!
Join me next week for another MTB TRIBE Podcast show!